The old chestnut of running in..

[noodle]

I'll be picking my car up at the weekend (hopefully /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/groovy.gif).

What are your suggestions for a 'running-in' period to get the best from the car?
Also, should I get the oil changed after this period?

Cheers folks. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Crafty]

I'd say no more than 4000rpm. Don't labour the engine and don't hold on boost for a long time. Change oil at 1000miles then treat as normal but don't cane the **** off it, get progressively harder on the car as miles increase.

Saying all that the best thing you can do with some turbo diesel engines is "drive it like you stole it" to ensure the rings bed in, if you don't at 30k you'll be having it apart for a set of rings and some crap oil to get the bores scratched in.

Needless to say ensure car is up to temperature before going very high on revs, bear in mind that if the coolant is up to temperature the oil may not be for another 5-10minutes. During this period I always keep revs low, below 2500rpm.

 

[Ken]

Let me ask you one question first.

How long do you plan to keep this car? If you plan to keep it 5yrs+ then worry about the running in period. If not, thrash away - you might get some good value out of your warranty! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

You can do the max 4,000rpm for the first 500kms, then increment by 500rpm for every 500kms... And don't rev it when cold. Changing the oil at the end of it is probably a good idea if you've done serious revving at redline at the end of running in.

At sale/trade-in time you will *still* get shafted after all that effort!/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/burningmad.gif

That's me still being a bit bitter about how hard I had to work to get a reasonable price for my car. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/****.gif

At the end of the day, it's your car, but for how long?

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Ken

 

[AL_B]

Bet you can't wait eh?! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

When I picked my car up from the dealer in Germany, he told me I didn't have to run the car in, as the engine is bench run.

BUT

I tried to anyway. At the time I saw an article in EVO about their long-term test Subaru impreza, which was also brand new. They discussed running-in in the article. The article seemed to suggest not taking the car above 3 or 4000rpm for the first few hundred miles, then gradually start to use more revs over subsequent 100 miles, until maximum revs have been reached. My thoughts were if thats what they've been told to do with a Subaru, then it won't do any harm to try and do that with my Audi.

But its easier said than done! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif For the first few hundred miles I did try to take it easy, so majority of driving was in the 3000-4000rpm range. And was gentle on the car when cold etc. But there were a few instances where I failed to resist the temptation of using full revs (not when cold though).

Other thing to remember about running-in is its not just the engine that needs to be run in, but things like the brakes, gearbox, tyres and all the other engine bits and bobs.

Good luck.

AL

 

[ColinM]

Don't change the oil unless you want to come out of the AVS system. There is plenty of detection re quality of the oil. The AVS will know how hard you have driven the car/short journeys etc.

As for changing to get rid of the crap in the oil, that's what the filter does. There is a chip detector to cover stray bits.

The car uses very modern synthetic oil, changing it early is not neccesary and is a hangover from the old "Running In, Please Pass" days.

 

[AL_B]

Also...

If you are remaining on the AVS service interval, you don't really need to change your oil. I haven't, but have had to top up with lots over the 10 months I've had the car. About 2 litres is my guess.

AL

 

[mramage]

I kept it under 4K and 100(er, kph) until 500miles while not using heavy throttle, trying to vary the revs. I then added 500RPM per 100 miles with increasing throttle, deliberately using higher revs even at a light load. Once I hit 1K it was open season /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Both myself and Als car were probably run in quite similarly (Apart from his autobahn blast) and they performed identically at the last Scottish meet.

I didn't change the oil.

 

[noodle]

Thanks for the comments so far...

Al, yeah, can't wait /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif. This is the longest week in my history so far, and it's only tuesday /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[JasonM]

Yes thats right the engine is bench run it, though it's not the engine that needs the miles its the suspension components & brakes that require bedding in